Abstract

1. In my opinion, Dr. Mosenthal has made an important contribution to the literature by pointing out the fallacies which have crept into the problem of evaluating glycosuria, and also by advocating the adoption of a standardized procedure using venous blood and a simple, accurate micro method. 2. However, from the standpoint of life insurance medicine, it is important that the procedure be of a sufficiently simple nature so that it can be carried out by a small town practitioner who is not versed in laboratory skill. 3. If not only specialists, but general practitioners, and all insurance companies could be persuaded to use a standardized procedure such as Dr. Mosenthal has outlined, the homogeneity of statistics would be greatly benefitted, and naturally also the welfare of glycosurics. 4. From the standpoint of life insurance medicine, I am not convinced that the capillary blood value as a criterion of the rapidity of insulin mobilization should be entirely abandoned even in spite of Dr. Mosenthal’s thesis as to the superior values of venous blood determinations. 5. Again, I repeat, that life insurance companies are entitled to use a measuring rod, within reasonable bounds of accuracy, which will enable them to select risks, based on the general law of averages, in a manner which proves fair to all concerned as judged by their own experience. 6. Lastly, may I reiterate that in my opinion a simple standardized uniform procedure used by both clinicians and insurance companies, is a goal to be greatly desired, but on the other hand, human nature being what it is, it seems highly dubious that such a Utopian state of affairs can be attained in the near future.